The third episode of the current season of Game of Thrones, which is featured on the cover of Rolling Stone,contains an Easter egg of Arthurian proportions: Monty Python references. The shows linguist, David Peterson, has revealed that the references appear in the scene where Daario Naharis faces off with the champion of Meereen and the latter shouts at Daenerys Targaryen in some foreign tongue. Although she asks what the invective means, she does not get an accurate translation. Hes actually saying a Low Valyrian translation of the French guys insults in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Peterson told Making Game of Thrones. Series co-creator D.B. Weiss allegedly came up with the idea.
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Right after that episode aired, I was getting tweets like, Is he saying a your momma joke?' Peterson said. Close,but no, hes actually starting out with, Your mother is a hamster.'
So, as the champion was urinating on the sand in front of Targaryen, here are some of the things he was saying: You dont frighten us, English pig-dogs. Go and boil your bottoms, sons of a silly person. I blow my nose at you, so called Arthur King, you and all your silly English Kah-nights. The French sentinel also called Arthur an empty-headed animal food trough wiper, told him his mother was a hamster and father smelled of elderberries and catapulted livestock at him and his crew of wipers of other peoples bottoms.
And lest we forget, the Frenchman said, I fart in your general direction. Sounds like the makings of a Red Wedding.
Game of Thrones, Monty Python style:
Monty Pythons original French taunts:
In other Python news, one member of the comedy troupe will help out in a performance of an oratorio based on the groups 1979 Life of Brian movie taking place in New York this winter. Eric Idle has written text for music by Spamalot composer John Du Prez for a piece called Not the Messiah (Hes a Very Naughty Boy),The New York Times reports, and its meant as a counterpoint to Handels ubiquitous Messiah oratorio. Idles work was original commissioned in 2007 by Torontos Luminato Festival, which premiered it.
Idles oratorio overture is Du Prezs arrangement of the John Phillips Sousa march The Liberty Bell, which also served as the theme music for the TV series Monty Pythons Flying Circus. Its finale is Life of Brians Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.
Idles Not theMessiah will be performed by the Collegiate Chorale and American Symphony Orchestra at New York Citys Carnegie Hall on December 15th and December 16th. The Python member is confirmed to be performing.